The main export is coffee. El Salvador depends upon its coffee growers for almost a quarter of its exports revenues (22%). Other major exports include paper (6.2%), apparel (5.5%), sugar and honey (5.3%), and medicinal and pharmaceutical products (4.3%).
Mining plays a role in the Salvadoran economy, for just 0.3 percent of the GDP in 1997, with mineral production limited primarily to gypsum, sea salt, and construction materials such as limestone.
Trade (2010): Exports--$4.5 billion: textiles and apparel, ethyl alcohol, coffee, sugar, medicines, iron and steel products, tuna, light manufacturing, and paper products. Major markets--U.S. 48%, Central American Common Market (CACM) 35.9%. Imports--$8.5 billion: petroleum, iron products, machines and mechanical devices, cars, medicines, consumer goods, foodstuffs, capital goods, and raw industrial materials. Major suppliers--U.S. 36.8%, CACM 19.1%.
Monetary System
The past monetary system for El Salvador were Colons in a coin form. 100 centavos (cents) equaled one Colon. On January of 2001 El Salvador began using dollars, but still continued to use Colons as well.
Geography
Map Of El Salvador
Location:
Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras
Geographic coordinates:
13 50 N, 88 55 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 21,040 sq km land: 20,720 sq km water: 320 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries:
total: 545 km border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
Land is mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
El Salvadors Average Conditions
Climate and Weather
Tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands
Environment - Current Issues
Deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
Brief History
Indigenous Groups
The majority of the El Salvador indigenous population is Nahua-Pipil.They live in the southwestern region in the states of Sonsonate. Much of El Salvador was home to the Pipil, Lenca, and a number of Maya. The Pipil lived in western El Salavdor, spoke Nahuat, and had many settlements there most noticeably the Señorío of Cuzcatlán . The Pipil had no treasure but held land that had rich and Fertile soil, good for farming.
Colonization
When the Spanish first ventured into Central America from the colony of Mexico in the early sixteenth century, the area that would become El Salvador was populated by Indians of the Pipil tribe.Under the Spanish colonial empire, El Salvador was part of the Kingdom of Guatemala, which governed most of Central America. The kingdom was a division of the huge region known as the Viceroyalty of New Spain, based in Mexico City, but officials in the Guatemalan capital made most decisions for the kingdom. El Salvador was part of the province of Guatemala until the late 1700s, divided into administrative areas known as alcaldias mayores around the towns of San Salvador, San Miguel, San Vicente, Santa Ana, and Sonsonate.
Independence
El Salvador Celebrates 189th Independence
Independence day is one of the most important days for Salvadorians. In 1821 the declaration of independence was signed by important government people such as Manuel Jose Arce, Jose Simeon Canas and Jose Matias Delgado. They are the ones who gave the first shout of independence on November 5 of 1811 in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. In 1823 Delgado was elected president of the constituent assembly.Because that is so important, every September 15 there is a big celebration that takes places all around El Salvador.Some activities that take place during the celebration are organized by public and private schools and government institutes. At the end of the day, fireworks light up the skies in El Salvador.Parades are the most important activity for the independence celebrations. The parades last the whole day.
Government/Current Political Situation
Government: Rupublic Current Leader:
Mauricio Funes is the current President of El Salvador. He won the presidential elections in 2009 and assumed office on June 1, 2009. Salvador Sanchez Ceren is the vice president of the country. He assumed office on June1, 2009.
Political Climate:
The political situation of the country is the most extreme example of those found through most of Central America. A small group of families are said to control the country, mainly through their control of the security forces, and access to American aid.The election system seems to be designed to prevent people from voting.Thus even those on the register did not vote at the place nearest their homes but at a place designated by alphabetical order of names. The cannot be regarded as a free and fair election
El Salvador is a presidential representative democratic republic. The president of the country is both the head of the government and the head of the state. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the Legislative Assembly and the government.
Culture
Atoles
Food:
If you know even a little about El Salvador, the one dish you would identify with this country would be pupusas. These are thick tortillas stuffed with ingredients limited only by your imagination. The most common pupusa types are cheese, bean and cheese, or perhaps chicharron(pork rind). These are made-to-order right in front of you by women who’ve set up shop on the side of the street and cook them on a portable propane grill.
Tamales often eaten on special occasions, as is chumpe,turkey stewed in a sauce.
Comida tipica, the local food, can be found in hundreds of small stands along streets and dozens of restaurants around the city
Atoles are very popular beverages in El Salvador with roots in Mayan cuisine. They are a sort of thick drink often eaten with a Spoon.(Shown to the left)
Tranditional Dress
Clothing:
Women's Traditional Dress
In El Salvador's traditional past, fashionable women could be seen wearing blouses with short, puffy sleeves. Tight skirts covered their curvy figures while bright colored cloths protected their heads.
Traditional dresses were based on a cotton skirt. Beneath the skirt was worn a petticoat decorated with ruffles around the hem. Skirts were worn at ankle length, modestly covering the legs. Topping the skirt was a long-sleeved lace blouse buttoned up to the neck.
Men's Tradtional Wear
Traditionally, men wore white pants made of cotton with a light-colored or white shirt. To protect their heads from the sun, they wore large hats made of palm leaves. For footwear, sandals were worn to keep the feet protected and cool at the same time.
Lace-covered shirts called guayaberas were worn on formal occasions. These shirts can still be seen worn at formal parties, weddings and special events
Famous El Salvador Sport
Sports: Football(soccer) is the most popular sport in El Salvador and is played throughout the country. Internationally renowned players include Jorge (“El Mágico”) González, who is considered one of the most accomplished footballers in the history of the Central American game, and Jaime (“La Chelona”) Rodríguez, who, with González, led the national team’s memorable run in the 1982 World Cup. Other sports, such as baseball and boxing, are still incipient in El Salvador. Numerous adventure sports are popular, including hiking, fishing, and kayaking.
Holy Week
Holidays/ Celebrations: Holy Week, March or April: Celebrated before Easter. Salvadorans hold processions during this week. On Easter weekend, most people celebrate by going to church and to the beach.
San Salvador Feast (Feast of the Holy Savior), Aug. 3-6: Celebrated with a carnival, fireworks, dancing and parades.
Independence Day, Sept. 15
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Dec. 24, 25: Homes are decorated with elaborate nativity scenes that can fill a whole room, Christmas trees are decorated and children receive presents on Christmas Eve.
This picture comes from MrRandMcnally of a group singing in the language of the Nahuatl: Nahuat or Pipil.
Music
Salvadorans enjoy the rhythms of the Caribbean. Guitars, marimbas and drums are used in church services. Most of the music on Salvadoran radio is standard pop fare from the United States, Mexico or other parts of Latin America, but there's a small underground movement of canción (folk music) that draws its inspiration from current events in El Salvador.
Famous Art Piece
Art
The village of La Palma has become famous for a school of art started by Fernando Llort. His childlike images of mountain villages, rural life and Christ are painted in bright colors on objects ranging from seeds to church walls. The town of Ilobasco is known for its ceramics, while San Sebastián is recognized for its textile arts.Poetry is popular, and well-known writers include Manlio Argueta and Francisco Rodriguez.
Dance
The Dance of Chapetones
There is one Dance in particular that is very traditional that goes back many generations. This dance involves a group of twelve men wearing shoes and tuxedos. There is one woman all in white with a immaculate headdress placed on her head. This woman symbolizes the queen and the dane mimics the style of the Spaniards with very robust and lazy moves according to the music.
The Dance Of the Lance
An ancient dance that involves battle the dance is “Lenca” in origin. Most of the time you will see this dance performed in the eastern towns of the country. An ancient battle dance that involves four to twelve men carrying a long lance that is vibrantly decorated with metal curls.
Tourism
El Salvador is one of Central America’s favourite vacation spot and now that Lonely Planet voted El Salvador as one of the top 10 countries to visit in 2010!
Beaches are VERY POPULAR in the country
One of the many beaches
.
Los Planes de Renderos
Los Planes de Renderos is one of the nicest views of the south of the city of San Salvador. Los Planes (as everybody refers to the area) is one of the favorite hangouts for both people visting and locals, especially during the weekend, because of its nice cool climate.
Los Planes de Renderos is a place where lots of activities are held. It is very famous for the many "pupuserias" small diners that make pupusas, Salvadorian typical snack.
La Puerta del Diablo
La Puerta del Diablo, another great attraction. We like going to Puerta del Diablo to see the sights.
At an altitude of 1250m above sea level, this area offers excellent sights of the Pacific Coastline, the village of Panchimalco.Panchimalco is an indigenous village where you can still find people walking around in their native dre
La Puerta del Diablo is also very popular for rapelling down the cliff.
Republic Of El Salvador
General Information
Capital City
Population:
Demographics:
86% of Salvadorans are mixed with Native Americian Indigenous and European Spanish origin by majority.
Median age
Total: 24.3 years male: 22.9 years female:25.7 years (2011 est.)
Population growth rate
0.318% (2011 est.)
Death rate
5.62 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)Ethnic groups
Mestizo 90%, indigenous 1%, Caucasian 9%
- Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 21.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.9%, Mormon 0.7%, other religions 2.3%, none 16.8% (2003 est.)
- Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)
(Source:http://www.indexmundi.com/el_salvador/demographics_profile.html)Religions:
Offical Language:
Major Exports/Industries
Mining plays a role in the Salvadoran economy, for just 0.3 percent of the GDP in 1997, with mineral production limited primarily to gypsum, sea salt, and construction materials such as limestone.
Monetary System
Geography
land: 20,720 sq km
water: 320 sq km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
(Source:http://geography.about.com/library/cia/bcelsalvador.htm)
Land is mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
Climate and Weather
Tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands
Environment - Current Issues
Deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
Brief History
Indigenous Groups
- The majority of the El Salvador indigenous population is Nahua-Pipil.They live in the southwestern region in the states of Sonsonate. Much of El Salvador was home to the Pipil, Lenca, and a number of Maya. The Pipil lived in western El Salavdor, spoke Nahuat, and had many settlements there most noticeably the Señorío of Cuzcatlán . The Pipil had no treasure but held land that had rich and Fertile soil, good for farming.
Colonization- When the Spanish first ventured into Central America from the colony of Mexico in the early sixteenth century, the area that would become El Salvador was populated by Indians of the Pipil tribe.Under the Spanish colonial empire, El Salvador was part of the Kingdom of Guatemala, which governed most of Central America. The kingdom was a division of the huge region known as the Viceroyalty of New Spain, based in Mexico City, but officials in the Guatemalan capital made most decisions for the kingdom. El Salvador was part of the province of Guatemala until the late 1700s, divided into administrative areas known as alcaldias mayores around the towns of San Salvador, San Miguel, San Vicente, Santa Ana, and Sonsonate.
IndependenceGovernment/Current Political Situation
Government: Rupublic
Current Leader:
- Mauricio Funes is the current President of El Salvador. He won the presidential elections in 2009 and assumed office on June 1, 2009. Salvador Sanchez Ceren is the vice president of the country. He assumed office on June1, 2009.
Political Climate:Culture
- If you know even a little about El Salvador, the one dish you would identify with this country would be pupusas. These are thick tortillas stuffed with ingredients limited only by your imagination. The most common pupusa types are cheese, bean and cheese, or perhaps chicharron(pork rind). These are made-to-order right in front of you by women who’ve set up shop on the side of the street and cook them on a portable propane grill.
- Tamales often eaten on special occasions, as is chumpe,turkey stewed in a sauce.
- Comida tipica, the local food, can be found in hundreds of small stands along streets and dozens of restaurants around the city
- Atoles are very popular beverages in El Salvador with roots in Mayan cuisine. They are a sort of thick drink often eaten with a Spoon.(Shown to the left)
Tranditional Dress
Clothing:Women's Traditional Dress
Traditional dresses were based on a cotton skirt. Beneath the skirt was worn a petticoat decorated with ruffles around the hem. Skirts were worn at ankle length, modestly covering the legs. Topping the skirt was a long-sleeved lace blouse buttoned up to the neck.
Men's Tradtional Wear
Lace-covered shirts called guayaberas were worn on formal occasions. These shirts can still be seen worn at formal parties, weddings and special events
Football(soccer) is the most popular sport in El Salvador and is played throughout the country. Internationally renowned players include Jorge (“El Mágico”) González, who is considered one of the most accomplished footballers in the history of the Central American game, and Jaime (“La Chelona”) Rodríguez, who, with González, led the national team’s memorable run in the 1982 World Cup. Other sports, such as baseball and boxing, are still incipient in El Salvador. Numerous adventure sports are popular, including hiking, fishing, and kayaking.
Holy Week, March or April: Celebrated before Easter. Salvadorans hold processions during this week. On Easter weekend, most people celebrate by going to church and to the beach.
Dance
- The Dance of Chapetones
There is one Dance in particular that is very traditional that goes back many generations. This dance involves a group of twelve men wearing shoes and tuxedos. There is one woman all in white with a immaculate headdress placed on her head. This woman symbolizes the queen and the dane mimics the style of the Spaniards with very robust and lazy moves according to the music.- The Dance Of the Lance
An ancient dance that involves battle the dance is “Lenca” in origin. Most of the time you will see this dance performed in the eastern towns of the country. An ancient battle dance that involves four to twelve men carrying a long lance that is vibrantly decorated with metal curls.Tourism
Los Planes de Renderos
Los Planes de Renderos is one of the nicest views of the south of the city of San Salvador. Los Planes (as everybody refers to the area) is one of the favorite hangouts for both people visting and locals, especially during the weekend, because of its nice cool climate.Los Planes de Renderos is a place where lots of activities are held. It is very famous for the many "pupuserias" small diners that make pupusas, Salvadorian typical snack.
La Puerta del Diablo
- La Puerta del Diablo, another great attraction. We like going to Puerta del Diablo to see the sights.
- At an altitude of 1250m above sea level, this area offers excellent sights of the Pacific Coastline, the village of Panchimalco.Panchimalco is an indigenous village where you can still find people walking around in their native dre
La Puerta del Diablo is also very popular for rapelling down the cliff.Current Events
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1202/S00171/el-salvador-security-mustot-override-freedom-rights.htm
El Salvador: Right To Security Must Not Override Right To Be Free From Arbitrary Detention, Urges UN Expert Body
SAN SALVADOR –The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention* urged the Government of El Salvador to ensure that the right to security does not override the right to be free from arbitrary detention. The Working Group raised serious concern about the extreme over-crowding in prisons and police detention facilities.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/02/26/nl-escobar-ashes-226.html?cmp=rss
Sister bringing brother's ashes from St. John's to El Salvador
Carlos Escobar Medina died in a fire on Springdale Street in St. John's last November
The sister of a Central American man who died in a house fire in St. John's last year is preparing to return home to El Salvador with his ashes.Carlos Escobar Medina died in a fire on Springdale Street in St. John's last November
Escobar said a funeral service for her brother is scheduled to take place when she returns to El Salvador.
Sources
http://www.indexmundi.com/el_salvador/demographics_profile.html
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/El-Salvador-FOREIGN-TRADE.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2090.html
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/El-Salvador.html
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5171467_history-el-salvador-money.html
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2033.htm
http://www.southtravels.com/america/elsalvador/weather.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g294476-Activities-San_Salvador.html
http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcelsalvador.htm
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/elsalvador.html
http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/El-Salvador.html